Improvement in horse-detaching apparatus



JOHN L. HAMILTON. Improvement in Horse -Detaching Apparatus.

N0. H4 553. Patented May 9,1871.

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JOHN LINTON HAMILTON, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

Letters Patent No. 114,553, dated May 9, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT lhl HORSE-DETACHING'APPARATUS- The Schedule zefen'ed bo in theseLettez-e Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J onn Lmron HAMILTON, of

'St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri,have invented a new and improved Horse- Detaching Apparatus; and I do hereby declarethat the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the artto make and use the same,- reference being bad to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in horse-detachingapparatus; and

It consists -in a sliding bar attached to the whiffle tree or to a secondary whiffletree, to which the one having the horse hitched to it is connected by cockeyes or rings in the ends of short traces .hooked onto studs projecting from the end of the whiffletree, said bar being provided with a holding and tripping spring and cars, through which one of the studs holding a trace passes, and so arranged that by a sudden jerk of the cord one will be pushed oif its holding-stud, and a guard which holds the trace on the other stud will be released, to free the trace and let it escape, all as hereinafter more fully specified.

The drawing is a plan view of my improved horsedetaching apparatus.

A is the whiflietree, having the. stud B in one end and O in the other, to which the cock-eyes or rings D of the harness-traces E-or it may be short traces, connecting another whiflietree 1*--are connected, as shown.

The trace connected to B is confined therein by an ear, G, projectiugin front of the end of A from a bar, H, fitted upon A so as to. slide back and forth a suitable distance, and extending beyond each end.

The said ear has a holecoinciding with the stud B.

I is another ear, parallel to G, also having a hole for stud B, and bearing against the end of A when the trace is secured to the stud, the ring thereof being between the two ears.

The stud C has a slotted guard, K, pivoted ina slot in the end, and held by a pin, L, inbar H, to secure the trace on said stud, the said pin being engaged in the slot of the guard so as to prevent it from swinging around to release the trace as long as the bar H remainsiu the position indicated in the drawing. This guard swings .into a slot in the end of bar H, to en'- gage the pin between the two walls of the slot.

The bar is held in the position represented in the drawing to retain the traces on the studs B G by the springhi and stud-pin N, covered by a case, 0, or proteted in any other suitable way at the rear side of bar H.

P is the tripp1ng-cord or strap attached to bar H behind the spring near its fixed end, and passing along parallel with it and bar H to the hole for engaging the stud N, thence through the hole and through case O'to any suitable place where the driver can reach it at any time.

By suddenly jerkingthis cord the spring M will be forcedback off the studs N, the bar will be forced to the right, and the trace thrown oil from stud B by the ear I;-at the same time the pin L will escapefrom the slot of guard K, consequently as the end of A having the guard K swings. forward, in consequence of the trace at this end being not yet detached,-while the other one is, the ring D will slide along the'stud and, coming against the guard, which cannot resist the escape of the ring, the said guard will be'swung around and the ring will escape, as will be clearly seen by inspection of the drawing.

When the traces are connected to the studs care is taken to arrange the ring of one'between the ears G I, and the ring of the other being placed on the stud over guard K, the latter is so held as to receive the pin L in its slot when the bar H is shot back to engage springs M with stud N,

The guard K may be curved from the pivot on the side next to the ring, to afi'ord more room for the latter than it does when made straight.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The sliding bar H, having the perforated ears G I at one end and the pin L at the other, combined with the whifiEletree A, having thestnd B in one end and the stud G and slotted guard K in the other, all substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the sliding bar H, of the spring M, stud N, and tripping-cord or strap P, all substantially as specified.

JOHN LINTON HAMILTON.

-Witnesses:

O. B. Gannon, D. MODONALIL.

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